Royal Vegetables
by Bralt
Summary: No kid likes vegetables, especially a very whiny prince of Clonmel
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**This is just another random one-shot I came up with because I'm supposed to be doing homework :D Yea...so I was thinking Halt and Ferris are around ten here**

Ferris sat sulking at the large table in the Royal dining room. The walls were home to tapestries made of fine silk while the floor was covered in a large red rug. A chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, giving everything light. He'd never liked the tapestries or the chandelier or the rug, they weren't fancy enough for him, but he found them extremely interesting now. For now his plate was covered in vegetables that he didn't want to eat but he had to. Beside him sat Halt while all the way down at the other end of the table sat his mother and father, patiently waiting for him to finish his supper while they silently argued over something or other. Caitlyn had been excused to go to her lesson and so it was just the four.

"Just finish them," Halt said agitatedly. His brother could be completely annoying sometimes. Halt had been stuck inside all day, suffering through lesson after lesson and he was itching to get outside at twilight, his favorite time.

"I don't want to," Ferris whined. "They're disgusting," he added with a scrunched up nose. Halt rolled his eyes.

"They're not going to kill you," Halt snapped. He wanted to leave badly but knew his parents wouldn't approve. Nobody was supposed to leave until everybody had finished, with the exception of lessons.

"If they're so great then why don't you eat them?" Ferris replied, thinking he had been witty. Halt raised an eyebrow, a feature he was just starting to use. So far he thought it looked pretty good.

"I did eat mine," Halt answered annoyed. Ferris stole a glance at Halt's plate, seeing that his twin was right.

"How about you eat mine as well?" Ferris said hopefully. Halt shook his head. He hated the stringy vegetables their chef prepared almost as much as Ferris, the difference being he was willing to just deal with it. Though he was able to get through his own serving, he knew he wouldn't be able to suffer through Ferris' as well.

"No," he stated flatly.

"If you don't then I'm telling mother and father that you've been out in the woods again," Ferris threatened. Halt glared at him, he wasn't supposed to go out to the woods. His parents said it wasn't the correct behavior for a prince. He'd been warned once and knew if he got caught again he'd be sentenced to house arrest. He couldn't bear the thought of being trapped inside for a week.

"Just eat them. You know mother and father will wait all night," Halt said in a growl. Though his parents disagreed on much, they somehow came together on the matter that Halt and Ferris had to eat all of their vegetables before they left the table.

"But I don't want to," Ferris moaned with a pouty face. Halt felt like slamming his head into the table, why was Ferris such a child? Halt thought for a moment, he needed to get outside before he was sentenced to his rooms for the night, especially since tomorrow he had to attend a meeting with his father about some other boring thing that in no way concerned him. Glancing down at his parents to make sure they were engrossed in their argument, Halt looked to Ferris.

"Give me your shoe," he snapped and Ferris looked at him horrified.

"No Halt, I don't want to walk around in mushy carrots," Ferris complained. Halt glared at him and Ferris complied, seeing a dangerous glint in Halt's eyes.

"Can we leave now?" Ferris called down the table. His parents looked up and nodded when they saw his plate was clear. Halt stood up and shot out of the room like an arrow. Ferris was the last to leave, squelching down the hallway to his room as the buttery carrots were squished by his foot. Several servants looked at the prince with amused expressions and some with confused looks. As Ferris tore off his shoe in his room, he vowed that he'd eat all his vegetables after that. Nothing was as nasty as walking around a castle with mushy carrots in your shoe.

**I imagine squishy carrots in your shoe would feel something like pudding in the shoe...not pleasant at all...please review:D**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is written by Tuglover98, I added the last paragraph but other than that and a few corrections this is entirely her's and she has given me permission to post it because she doesn't do that anymore**

**Disclaimer: Ranger's Apprentice is not mine and neither is this chapter really**

It had been a long day for Gilan. He had decided to take a break from all his ranger work and go see Halt and Will, considering it has been a few months since he'd last seen them.

Halt, of course, hadn't been too thrilled that he had arrived so unannounced, but decided to make his "specialty" for Gilan. Mushy carrots.

No one really knows how this came to be his "specialty." He could cook anything and it would taste better than those horrible orange vegetables. Maybe it was simply because he was the only one who found the carrots weren't all that bad.

So now Gilan was sitting across from a complaining Will, wishing, more than ever that he had just stayed home.

"Come on, Halt don't make us eat these!" said a pleading Will.

"Boy, I'll make sure you don't move an inch until you die if you don't eat those carrots." replied Halt, starring aimlessly at a report.

"Will, just eat them they...aren't bad." Gilan eyed the carrots, wishing for them to just disappear

"Why should I? You haven't eaten yours yet!"

"But...fine." Gilan reluctantly put one carrot in his mouth and immediately spit it back out. At this moment, Gilan would have rather drunk venom if it meant he could get that nasty taste out of his mouth.

He stole a glance at Halt and saw how he was draw in to some report. And his mind went wild, this could be their chance to get away.

"Hey, Will," whispered Gilan. "Let me see your boot."

Will, a confused look on his face handed over his boot. He was about to ask why, exactly, Gilan needed his boot but saw that Gilan was taking the carrots and putting them in their boots.

A few minutes later, they had their boots back on. "Can we leave now?" they asked synchronized. Without even a glance at them, Halt grunted in reply.

They got up and ran towards the cabin door. They were almost out when Halt spoke up.

"Wait." They froze in their places, ready to run if necessary.  
"First you must take off your boots," said Halt with an evil gleam in his eye.

Gilan looked at Will who was looking at him. Now Halt was standing, an eyebrow raised. Gilan thought for a moment, they wouldn't have a good chance if they ran but, Halt was getting on in years wasn't he? Gilan, clearly not thinking straight, bolted out the door with Will at his heels. Needless to say, one cannot run faster than Halt with mushy carrots in their shoes and pine trees don't make good sleeping spots.

**please review**


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